This happened to my birds too. You do your best with what you have.Oh, I’m so ugly crying.
Something got into my coop (I really think raccoon) and killed all my birds in the coop. There wasn’t a lot of depradation, and I’m fortunate enough that I still have my marans, a couple Bob white quail, and Guinea keets…but I lost my Ayam Cemani (she lived here for 10 years, FAR longer than I have), my favorite fuzzy cheeked Easter eggers, my little splash that laid the prettiest pink egg…I’m just SO freaking sad. My husband blames himself, he spent his last few weekends on a new more secure coop, just not enough time to finish, I blame myself, I didn’t shut the coop door when they all piled in, thinking they needed the air flow.
I’ve been bawling my eyes out all day.
I'm so sorry, KewPee. It's awful to lose your birdies!Oh, I’m so ugly crying.
Something got into my coop (I really think raccoon) and killed all my birds in the coop. There wasn’t a lot of depradation, and I’m fortunate enough that I still have my marans, a couple Bob white quail, and Guinea keets…but I lost my Ayam Cemani (she lived here for 10 years, FAR longer than I have), my favorite fuzzy cheeked Easter eggers, my little splash that laid the prettiest pink egg…I’m just SO freaking sad. My husband blames himself, he spent his last few weekends on a new more secure coop, just not enough time to finish, I blame myself, I didn’t shut the coop door when they all piled in, thinking they needed the air flow.
I’ve been bawling my eyes out all day.
It's hard, but if you keep chickens long enough, it happens to all of us.
ask and ye shall receive - prayers up that you get yours WW. I am convinced that "the many mansions" are actually personally designed by their future inhabitants then loving furnished and provided to spec for us by HIMI am dying of luekemia, I await a flock in heaven if I should be so lucky!
I’ll have to look into that! Our new coop should only be another week or so, and I’ll be moving my remaining Marans and introducing the guineas with the aquarium method.One of the safety devices I used on all my windows in my coop was this stuff at Lowes, it was something like extruded aluminum. I think it was something to apply to stucco over. i sized the coop windows to use it over the coops screen windows. The stuff is extremely sharp to handle. I never had anything that came into the coop via the windows. That stuff would rip your hide right off you.
I’m strongly considering an automatic chicken door. My only hesitancy was not being sure when to open and close it. I didn’t want too early am when the hawks and owls are still about, and worried at too early PM. Lost a rooster because the damn thing perched outside the coop too high for me to get. It was late, I just got home and was exhausted, figured he’d be fine for the night. WRONG. :facepalm;You managed to keep them alive for a long time and they enjoyed the life you gave them. I would mourn em and try to move on as quickly as possible. Dont let wild animals doing what wild animals do spoil your love for raising birds.
Get some more chicks, mend any holes and invest in a 100 dollar chicken door that runs on solar and shuts every night automatically.
Ugh, that’s heartbreaking, I’m so sorry!!Years ago we had over 40 hens we raised from about a dozen strait runs. And did the whole incubation and raised in the house, till they went into the coop. Eat most of the roos. Right at the peek of our flock and production of eggs was almost 40 a day.
Next door naighbors full blooded bird hunting dog broke into coop and killed them all.
Know how you feel.
Same. I’m fine living in my little ol’ farmhouse, but we’re tearing down the old barns and building newer and better!I'm one that doesn't require a mansion, all I want is. A Little place and a chicken McMansion.